Check the download limit.... Your service doesn't have a limit? It has limits in plans in, likely near, future.
Comcast's current limit is 250GB per month. Some limits are Lower... 150GB per month like for some ATT service.
If you go over limit 2 time in a year Comcast and other will cut your service. Netflix and other Stream media services can eat up bandwidth and easily will go over the limit.
To stop you from going over limit, check your Router!
Some new models have a feature to stop hitting the limit. Just login to your router and see. Netgear's Traffic Meter is one…
Note: Use Reset button carefully. That button will wipe counters and stats.
For Comcast, I set mine to 250880MB, which is 245GB, 5GB below Comcast's limit. I set the warning to 225280MB, which is 220GB, 54976mb, which is about 53gb, but I will set it lower (mean warning mb is greater) next month… That way I can cut off Netflix and still use Internet for rest of the month. update: warning value mb is backward... cap limit minus warning not 0 plus warning.
Current firmware, 1.2.2.44 and below, the warning is fairly useless. Only can monitor by dumping logs to Email and set an Email rule or watch http://192.168.1.1/traffic_status.htm
Use IP Phone, like Skype, Vonage, and Comcast Voice? Then use a warning with lower number to cut Netflix/etc off before don't have a phone.
By cutting off netflix etc... I mean do not use, and even unplug, the service/device for rest of that month. Blocking service on the router is good to. (No. I don't have any info to block service at hand right now...)
Using Open Source Firmware? Check them... Not a feature? Scream at them and Change Firmware. Using old OEM firmware, check makers for update for Traffic Meter support. No? Get a new router or see if Open Source firmware will help.
I was using DDwrt v24 SP1 (Build10020) with my old Linksys WRT54GS but DDwrt doesn't have a Traffic Meter feature. So I won't use it or any OS firmware that doesn't support Traffic Meter on my new router. (Netgear WNR3500L, which supports most Open Source firmware.)
Need a new router? Check features or ask at makers web site. Router go on sale all the time but lacking this feature should be a deal breaker for most users.
Most if not all ISP have limits in planing stage, have a limit, or have a limit a plans to reduce limit further. Better for your router shuts down before ISP have a fit and kills your account. No Comcast, etc, means no fast Internet for many people.
Welcome to the new Limit Internet world.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
I see this as an interesting issue. The ISPs are trying to impose limits while more and more services content is going online with "cloud computing", media streaming and online backups. There is going to be a head to this issue at some point.
BTW, if you are on Comcast, be careful with your P2P sharing. Comcast is notorious for turning people in for copyright violations. I would recommend you use a out of country VPN service to encrypt your traffic if you must use Comcast.
ive went over the limit many times with comcast, they just throttle the crap out of you till next month or you call and bit*h.
That practice will end soon and you will get hit with a charge.
I see these caps as 3 things:
1 - They cant fight piracy so they will make it too expensive to transfer files ( and they can fight freedom of speech this way too.. ) 2 - They cant fight competition from other content providers so they will make it too expensive ( using a tiered internet, their media will not apply to your cap ) 3 - They cant fight the economy so they will suck as much as they can out of us while they can...
Don't you mean, "welcome back to the 80's"? We had caps back then too, and you see how well the 'internet' did, it was mostly for the hardcore geek types and a very few businesses.. Remove the caps and it ballooned and became a part of daily life.
IP: Logged
05:06 PM
Boondawg Member
Posts: 38235 From: Displaced Alaskan Registered: Jun 2003
Don't you mean, "welcome back to the 80's"? We had caps back then too, and you see how well the 'internet' did, it was mostly for the hardcore geek types and a very few businesses.. Remove the caps and it ballooned and became a part of daily life.
I'm sure some remember the early days of gasoline, electricity, the telephone, but that doesn't stop us from paying whatever we are told to.
ive went over the limit many times with comcast, they just throttle the crap out of you till next month or you call and bit*h.
That maybe for now, And maybe you can upgrade to Business Class with added cost, But do not trust a CSR, tech, etc, to say one thing and Contract says something Different. If it goes to Court, Contract Wins every time.
What they say in writing: (I'm not digging in TOS...)
Source: Comcast FAQ about Excessive Use
quote
What will happen if I exceed 250 GB of data usage in a month?
The vast majority - more than 99% - of our customers will not be impacted by a 250 GB monthly data usage threshold. If you exceed more than 250 GB, you may receive a call from the Customer Security Assurance ("CSA") team to notify you of excessive use. At that time, we will tell you exactly how much data you used. When we call you, we try to help you identify the source of excessive use and ask you to moderate your usage, which the vast majority of our customers do voluntarily. If you exceed 250GB again within six months of the first contact, your service will be subject to termination and you will not be eligible for either residential or commercial internet service for twelve (12) months. We know from experience that most customers curb their usage after our first call. If your account is terminated, after the twelve (12) month period expires, you may resume service by subscribing to a service plan appropriate to your needs.
Our practice for the past several years has been to call only our heaviest data users, and this practice remains the same now that the 250GB data usage threshold is in effect. We may change our practice but will, of course, provide notice to you of any change.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Yeah, I just received a new TOS from at&t saying that my limit is 150g a month unless I have uverse and then its 250g. I'm hitting about 130g a month so I should be fine.
I'm using 90-110GB Just for Netflix... This for 2 adults using mainly on weekend. We watch allot of tv series on Netflix streams. We tried to watch series in DVD but it's big pain, even three DVD level...
And this for standard TV using Wii... HiDef will suck bandwidth like crazy.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
i think TDS just throttles it, too. my roommate regularly downloads torrents thats are hundreds of gigs each. never gotten a warning or anything. cant even say the internet has ever been throttled, but ours is only 5meg anyways
IP: Logged
03:20 AM
jaskispyder Member
Posts: 21510 From: Northern MI Registered: Jun 2002
I searched through the Qwest DSL site and couldn't find anything limiting usage to a specific amount of GB. There was a section that said if a user was displaying particularly heavy usage they would contact them, but no definition of what heavy usage is.
IP: Logged
10:07 AM
jaskispyder Member
Posts: 21510 From: Northern MI Registered: Jun 2002
Optimum started throttling me a few years ago. I called and the tech guy said this to me " Pay the $10 for the boost service and you will never see throttling again".
He was right too. Definitely worth the extra $10.
btw I am sure most of you already know to check your wireless settings and make sure you use passwords so your neighbors aren't using up your limit too.
Starting today, watching movies & TV shows in Canada will use 2/3 less data on average with minimal impact to video quality. For example, watching 30 hours of Netflix movies & TV shows will only use 9 GB of data, well below most Canadian ISP data caps. Previously, 30 hours from Netflix typically used 31 GB.
Why the change? We know that many of our Canadian members have monthly Internet data caps. This new default account setting will significantly reduce the amount of data Netflix delivers to you each month.
You now also have the ability to manage how much data Netflix delivers to you. Visit Your Account to adjust your settings anytime you want. Regardless of which setting you choose –– Netflix is still only $7.99 a month.
I searched through the Qwest DSL site and couldn't find anything limiting usage to a specific amount of GB. There was a section that said if a user was displaying particularly heavy usage they would contact them, but no definition of what heavy usage is.
My previous ISP had ' reasonable use ' in an amended TOS. When they once complained i offered to comply but was unable to find anything about a new limit.. When they couldn't come up with an actual number " what ever you feel is responsible" i thanked them for the green light and resumed to normal activities.
Too bad they were eventually bought out by crapcast.
IP: Logged
04:19 PM
Pyrthian Member
Posts: 29569 From: Detroit, MI Registered: Jul 2002
that is what is promised to you with a classic 6MBS connection. problem is - they dont want to put out what is promised. never expected people to actualy USE what they are buying....
but, I can also understand the reasoning. these speeds were not meant to be sustained. and, is areas with lessor infrastructure, this stuff can QUICKLY bring an entire region to a crawl.
IP: Logged
04:22 PM
faaaaq Member
Posts: 3856 From: Madison WI, USA Registered: Sep 2009
Made bandwidth smaller? Already has some problem with compression but so does most other, including Comcast. Most customers just think TV has problems but really over compress service. Not just a Netflix issue if it happens, Cable and satellite have same problem. High # of channels and not enough bandwidth mean they compress content more.
quote
Originally posted by ghost187x:
why are these ISP's capping bandwidth now? Are there too many subscribers nowadays?
Not customer # issue... Can't handle bandwidth for Youtube, Netflix, etc, streaming content. Can't Throttle streaming server. Can't make Google etc pay for bandwidth. This is a result of Net Neutrality. Google et al want free bandwidth. ISP can't make Bandwidth fast enough. Bandwidth has a Major Cost issue. Google and other big companies must pay for bandwidth the ISP provide is what ISP says.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
why are these ISP's capping bandwidth now? Are there too many subscribers nowadays?
everyone heard that some Cellphone carriers are trying to charge Youtube and Facebook for eating up large portions of their bandwidth? internet/wireless providers HAVE the capability to sustain current speeds, they simply want to do it as cheap and easy as possible, all the while raising prices AND lowering actual speed.
IP: Logged
12:32 AM
Doug85GT Member
Posts: 10013 From: Sacramento CA USA Registered: May 2003
Why doesn't netflix just let its users pick the quality of the video and bandwidth themselves?
I would guess that they have to dumb it down for the masses.
*hypothetical exaggerated situation* Jed sets quality of video to 2380i, while also using dial up internet. Jed then calls to complain to Netflix because his video won't load. No matter what the tech guy on the phone tells him, Jed will ultimately think that since he is paying to watch Netflix, it HAS to work. Any sentences with bandwidth or other internet terms will only make the situation more confusing for him.
just my two cents. I could be way off, I don't even get Netflix.
Why doesn't netflix just let its users pick the quality of the video and bandwidth themselves?
Netflix is only one Streaming source/problem. They are just first big service. Any Service using Streaming or "Cloud" tech can add up in bandwidth. Netflix answer is good but You have to limit all service to stay under cap and that's not likely to happen. This is why you need a router that tracks bandwidth. Netgear's basic Traffic Meter is a start. Mixing Traffic Meter and QOS is better since you can shut down streaming if Bandwidth get too high but keep other service alive (QOS? search Google etc.) but is likely beyond most consumer grade router.
quote
Originally posted by 1988holleyformula: I would guess that they have to dumb it down for the masses. ... just my two cents. I could be way off, I don't even get Netflix.
No. You're not off. I've worked on Hell Desk...
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Not customer # issue... Can't handle bandwidth for Youtube, Netflix, etc, streaming content. Can't Throttle streaming server. Can't make Google etc pay for bandwidth. This is a result of Net Neutrality. Google et al want free bandwidth. ISP can't make Bandwidth fast enough. Bandwidth has a Major Cost issue. Google and other big companies must pay for bandwidth the ISP provide is what ISP says.
as far as I know - EVERYONE pays for bandwidth. I know of NOONE who provides FREE internet. Netflix pays for bandwidth Google pays for bandwidth YouTube pays for bandwidth
the issue is the entities between your ISP & the streaming source
IP: Logged
10:14 AM
dguy Member
Posts: 2416 From: Beckwith Township, ON, Canada Registered: Jan 2003
Not customer # issue... Can't handle bandwidth for Youtube, Netflix, etc, streaming content. Can't Throttle streaming server. Can't make Google etc pay for bandwidth. This is a result of Net Neutrality. Google et al want free bandwidth. ISP can't make Bandwidth fast enough. Bandwidth has a Major Cost issue. Google and other big companies must pay for bandwidth the ISP provide is what ISP says.
I don't buy that, at least not at 100% in Canada.
Up here our major telecom carriers have their fingers in every possible pie. POTS, mobile phones & data, internet, television. Not far off of from when Netflix opened their doors here, two of the incumbent telcos started offering their own on-demand/streaming services.
The lowest tier packages for digital cable, satellite, or on-demand services from the major carriers can't compete fiscally with what I can get out of un-capped service from an independent ISP, Netflix, and the odd bit through youtube. Five will get you ten that the incumbent ISPs' motivation to apply residential caps is at least in part motivated by protecting the bottom line of their entertainment divisions.
IP: Logged
10:17 AM
87antuzzi Member
Posts: 11151 From: Surrounded by corn. Registered: Feb 2009
Originally posted by 87antuzzi: Screw comcast! I hate em I hate em I hate em!!!! Also, dont try to DDOS comcast. Its like trying to take apart a anvil with a screw driver.
lol - just need a bigger screwdriver
IP: Logged
10:40 AM
87antuzzi Member
Posts: 11151 From: Surrounded by corn. Registered: Feb 2009
If i had a big enough screw driver that would be swell......If i have a really really really big screwdriver, dropping the CLOUD would be kinda fun. But that would be a team of screwdrivers world wide.
Up here our major telecom carriers have their fingers in every possible pie...
I was ignoring Canada...
Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon, and other, have same poker in fire... Netflix, Google's Youtube, etc, compete directly with Comcast et al services. Search Net Neutrality. search at EPIC.org, FCC.gov and US Congress/LOC.gov
quote
Originally posted by Pyrthian: as far as I know - EVERYONE pays for bandwidth. I know of NOONE who provides FREE internet.
Google etc... No same way as you. Google is considered a "backbone" level service, only 1 hop to backbone in most N. America region. Google is that big and doesn't need a middleman like Comcast. Netflix and other are 1 or 3 hops away from "backbone." (very simple: hop = # of routers. Backbone in this case is a very small list of company tie everything together and I'm ignoring Peerage... Not same as P2P... )
Comcast etc want Google and other to pay for play since Google uses Comcast bandwith to Stream media. Google, Netflix, etc Does Not pay to ISP, like Comcast.
Read FCC and Net Neutrality issue....
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Originally posted by theogre: Google etc... No same way as you. Google is considered a "backbone" level service, only 1 hop to backbone in most N. America region. Google is that big and doesn't need a middleman like Comcast. Netflix and other are 1 or 3 hops away from "backbone." (very simple: hop = # of routers. Backbone in this case is a very small list of company tie everything together and I'm ignoring Peerage... Not same as P2P... )
Comcast etc want Google and other to pay for play since Google uses Comcast bandwith to Stream media. Google, Netflix, etc Does Not pay to ISP, like Comcast.
Read FCC and Net Neutrality issue....
yes - but - that still does NOT mean they do not pay for their bandwidth. they do I agree it is not like how you & me pay - of course - but it is still a substaintial cost they put out for bandwidth. you know as well as everyone else here - NOONE gets service for free.
just a Q - who pays for the "backbone" is it free?
just a Q - who pays for the "backbone" is it free?
Sorry for wait...
Short Version... Two kinds of ways for ISP to connect to Internet, Google, or another ISP, etc... "Backbone" mean Private ISP for public ISP, comcast etc, to connect to. No, not free. In U.S. 2-3 Companies are "backbone" level. Many countries, like China, the Governments are the backbone. "Peering" mean one ISP "peer to" another ISP/service with direct cable/fiber. No, not free either but usually cheaper that backbone method. plus peering is a back up in case backbone connection goes down for any reason.
also updated my first post... instruction change
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
I dont have it because I wont use it, but Verizon plans limit you to I think 5 GB for $50, and $10 each GB over. Do a bunch of movies and you get a $500 phone bill. Its cheaper to buy a DVD at the store where you can get them on sale for less than $5.
I dont have it because I wont use it, but Verizon plans limit you to I think 5 GB for $50, and $10 each GB over. Do a bunch of movies and you get a $500 phone bill. Its cheaper to buy a DVD at the store where you can get them on sale for less than $5.
i have comcast business @ home... i go over the limit every month, nothing happens :P
last month i pulled over 2tb's of data in, 600gigs out, still was getting full speed, never any letters or notices since i upgraded, and was only like $5/mo difference.
ive went over the limit many times with comcast, they just throttle the crap out of you till next month or you call and bit*h.
This is changing. The new polices are 2x in a year and you are SOL.
Another thing a person can do with the router, instead of just monitoring, is set it up to throttle so you cant go over.. that way you dont end up using it all in 3 weeks and sit in the dark for a week..
[This message has been edited by User00013170 (edited 07-28-2011).]
We had caps back then too, and you see how well the 'internet' did, it was mostly for the hardcore geek types and a very few businesses.. Remove the caps and it ballooned and became a part of daily life.
